HOLIDAY BLUES

Boycott of Target over next Christmas

Retailer unresponsive to request its holiday policy be changed

Published: 12/02/2005 at 1:00 AM

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A traditional-values group that has led multiple boycotts of Target stores in the past has launched another, this time because the retail giant has been unresponsive to requests its marketing material become more Christmas-friendly prior to the holiday next year.

The American Family Association announced the boycott yesterday, saying the company “continues to ban Christmas in their in-store promotion and retail advertising.”

AFA is promoting the boycott to its 2.8 million online supporters and on its nearly 200 radio stations nationwide.

“Knowing it was too late to make changes this season, we told Target that if they would make that change in 2006 we would encourage our supporters to shop at Target,” AFA Chairman Don Wildmon said. “But we also said that if Target refused, or did not respond, AFA would call for a boycott.”

Wildmon says Target did not respond to the ultimatum.

Other companies have been more responsive to AFA and other pro-Christmas organizations. The groups says a recent letter from Walgreens states: “Next year, you can be assured our advertising will better incorporate ‘Christmas,’ and our holiday trees will be called Christmas trees. Unfortunately, all of this year’s December ads are already printed, so it’s too late to make changes for this season.”

AFA urged a boycott of Target stores on Thanksgiving weekend, a heavy shopping period, and prior to that announced a general boycott of the retailer over its banning of the Salvation Army’s traditional red-kettle solicitors.